A civil lawsuit filed by former NBA star Dwight Howard alleging sexual assault and battery was reportedly dismissed on Monday. ESPNThe lawsuit was dismissed in Gwinnett County, Georgia court.
The lawsuit was originally filed by Georgia resident Stephen Harper in July 2023. Harper has dismissed all claims he asserted against Howard and cannot relitigate those claims.
The incident occurred at Howard’s Georgia home in July 2021, and Harper’s July 2023 complaint also accused Howard of “intentional infliction of emotional distress” and false imprisonment.
When Howard denied the allegations in his October filing, the eight-time NBA All-Star claimed he engaged in “consensual sexual activity” with Harper. Howard’s lawyer also said: He told ESPN The alleged incident was “consensual” and was only made public after demands for payment were made, he said.
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Taoyuan Leopards center Dwight Howard (No. 12) reacts on the court during a T1 League match between the Taiwan Beer Hero Bears and the Taoyuan Leopards at Taipei University Tianmu Gymnasium in Taipei, Taiwan on February 19, 2023. (Jean Wang/Getty Images)
“A consensual, private relationship has been made public for commercial gain and Mr. Howard wants the truth to come out in court,” Justin Bailey told ESPN. “The allegations against Mr. Howard are contested. Mr. Howard intends to come out with the truth.”
Harper’s lawyer, Olga Izmailova, issued a statement about the case to Fox News Digital in October.
“We needed to conduct our own investigation before we were ready to move forward with this lawsuit, and there were several personal factors that Mr. Harper needed to consider,” Izmailova said. “I have learned that Mr. Howard is now attempting to portray my client’s filing of this lawsuit as an act of extortion, which is completely false. Mr. Harper is pursuing his legal rights pursuant to Georgia law and is seeking compensation for the wrongful acts he has suffered.”
Izmailova added that at the time, a motion to dismiss the case had not yet been filed.
Howard then argued in a December filing that the accusations against him were baseless and asked the court to immediately rule in his favor and dismiss the case without a trial. A judge denied that request in February.
Los Angeles Lakers player Dwight Howard (number 39) warms up before an NBA game against the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena on March 18, 2022 in Toronto, Canada. (Cole Burston/Getty Images)
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“This was a classic case of unrequited love,” Howard’s lawyers wrote in a December filing obtained by ESPN. “Following a consensual one-night stand, Mr. Howard no longer had any interest in being with Ms. Harper.”
Howard spent 18 years in the NBA and won an NBA championship with the Lakers in 2020.
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